For three days, Harry didn't step out of his bedroom except to grab a bite to eat.
The curtains were only half drawn, and his desk was cluttered with untouched scripts and notebooks. Instead, he clutched a single, well-worn paperback that lay open in his hands.
Macbeth.
Maria had never seen him like this before.
The Latin housekeeper lingered outside his door more than once, straining to hear any signs of life. Every few hours, she would knock softly and ask if he needed anything to eat. He always responded politely, always expressed his gratitude. But he never made it downstairs.
Lisa canceled every meeting.
At first, she did it with her usual efficiency. But by the second day, her excuses took on a softer tone.
"Mr. Jackson is in development meetings."
"Mr. Jackson is in script lockdown."
"Mr. Jackson is unavailable this week."
She wouldn't admit it, but she was worried.
This was the first time she had witnessed him completely withdraw without a business crisis pushing him to do so.
James, unfortunately, felt the weight of the silence.
He had to work closely with Greg on two productions happening at the same time — The Prestige was getting filming, while No Country for Old Men was getting ready for post production.
Greg was swamped with location permits, casting calls, meetings with the Coen brothers, Cormac McCarthy's script revisions, and keeping an eye on the budget.
Both guys were venting about Harry in private.
"Reading Shakespeare," Greg grumbled over the phone. "Fantastic. I'm juggling two films, and he's off reading poetry."
"It's not just poetry," James replied with a hint of sarcasm. "It's Macbeth."
"Even better."
By the time April 2005 came around, Toni had arrived.
As Harry's agent, Toni had her own mountain of tasks to tackle.
There were studio offers pouring in. Paramount wanted to start discussions. Universal was showing interest in a thriller. Warner Bros was cautiously circling back. Suddenly, Harry's name was once again one of the hottest in the industry. There were inquiries for endorsements, invites to international festivals, and two European distributors eager for long-term first-look deals.
And there was Harry, tucked away upstairs, lost in the world of Shakespeare.
Meanwhile, Lisa welcomed Toni in the living room.
"He still doesn't want to be disturbed," she said, choosing her words carefully.
Toni took off his sunglasses and let out a sigh. "Of course he doesn't."
Maria came in with coffee.
Toni settled onto the large sofa, surveying the mansion like a man weighing the cost of missed opportunities.
Then, another arrival.
Shaun.
This Shaun was different from the fan club leader of the same name—he was quieter, older, and always serious. He held the title of Chief Financial Officer for Harry Jackson's growing empire, officially known as the CFO of FunTime Corporation.
FunTime Corporation had grown to include:
Fun Time Theatres — the rapidly expanding European theatre chain.
FunTime Cinemas — the production company behind Harry's films.
FunTime Holdings — the investment branch managing Harry's equity stakes, stock investments, and diverse holdings.
On Shaun's suggestion, Harry had pulled together all his personal shares, entertainment investments, and stock holdings into this corporate setup. It looked like a smart strategy on paper.
In reality, it meant Shaun was at the helm of a rapidly expanding conglomerate.
He had a background in accounting.
Now, he was managing theatre expansions in France, negotiating debt repayments, juggling stock leverage from Harry's bold investments, keeping an eye on cash flow across Europe, and handling regulatory paperwork on two continents.
Meanwhile, Harry stayed completely out of the operational side of things.
Shaun had hit his breaking point.
Lisa was taken aback to see him in person.
"You're not often in Los Angeles," she remarked.
"I had to be," Shaun answered.
She let him know that Harry was not available.
Shaun simply nodded and settled down next to Toni.
The two men exchanged introductions.
Time flew by.
Neither of them moved.
Lisa forced a smile, mentally replaying every choice that had brought her from Jackson Television to this house.
Then, they heard footsteps.
All three turned their heads.
Harry came down the stairs.
Dressed in sweatpants and a hoodie, his hair a mess, dark circles under his eyes, and a faint smell of stale air and paper lingering around him.
Yet, even in this state, he exuded an effortless confidence that made his fatigue seem intentional.
Maria appeared right away. "Would you like something refreshing?"
Harry returned her smile warmly. "Yes, please."
He flopped onto the sofa, prompting Toni and Shaun to shift a bit to make room for him. Lisa took a seat in a nearby chair.
"What's going on?" Harry asked, his tone calm.
Toni was the first to break the silence.
"Paramount reached out. The CEO wants to meet. They're interested in teaming up with FunTime Cinemas."
Harry blinked, processing the information.
Then he nodded slowly.
It made sense.
He was the industry's latest hotshot.
"You'll arrange the meeting," Harry said. "I want to know what they're offering."
Toni nodded, feeling a wave of relief that he was at least engaged.
Shaun took the opportunity to jump in.
He skipped the small talk.
"What exactly are you doing?"
Harry glanced at him, a bit taken aback.
Shaun pressed on, his tone steady but assertive.
"I'm managing the European theater expansion, handling six hundred million in structured debt, overseeing your stock holdings, negotiating credit lines, and answering to investors who are eager for projections. And you haven't responded to a single corporate memo in weeks."
Toni stayed quiet.
Lisa avoided looking at anyone.
Harry listened intently, not interrupting.
Shaun's frustration poured out in a stream of technical jargon — liquidity ratios, cash flow timing, expansion commitments, payroll scaling, interest accruals. It wasn't dramatic; it was just business.
When he wrapped up, the room fell into a heavy silence.
Shaun suddenly wondered if he had gone too far.
Harry remained quiet.
Maria came back with a tall glass of homemade citrus drink and set it down beside him before slipping away.
Still no response.
Lisa cleared her throat.
"Harry?"
He blinked, as if he was just coming back from a different place.
His gaze shifted from Lisa to Shaun.
"I was just mulling over my next story," he said, keeping his tone steady.
Shaun was on the verge of launching into another rant.
But Harry raised a hand, signaling for calm.
"If you need assistance, hire some folks."
Shaun frowned. "That's not the problem."
"It is," Harry countered. "We've outgrown our small team. We need to expand our headquarters. Bring in skilled people. Financial analysts. Operations managers. You could even poach talent."
"Poach?" Shaun echoed, surprised.
"There's a television executive," Harry said, his mind clearly working. "Currently managing operations for a big network division. Sharp as a tack. Ruthless. Knows how to scale and create content synergy."
He didn't mention any names.
But he was thinking of someone who would eventually reshape the television and film production landscape.
Shaun was clearly taken aback by how easily Harry suggested expansion.
Honestly, he found it appealing.
More staff meant less pressure on everyone.
Harry leaned back in his chair. "We should also get a bigger office."
Before the idea could really take off, Lisa cleared her throat pointedly.
"You're in debt," she reminded him bluntly. "Six hundred million dollars. Most of the theater profits go to interest. You're reinvesting film profits into development. There's no surplus."
Harry's smile faded a bit.
"You really know how to kill the mood," he muttered.
He took a sip of Maria's drink.
"It's fantastic," he called out toward the kitchen.
Then a flicker of realization crossed his face.
He turned to Lisa again.
"If I want to adapt Shakespeare," he asked casually, "who do I need to talk to?"
Toni frowned. "Adapt?"
"Macbeth," Harry said. "That's the next project on my list."
The room fell silent.
Shaun forgot his earlier frustration.
Toni leaned in closer.
Lisa blinked in surprise.
"Macbeth?" she echoed.
Harry nodded once, resolutely.
"Modern take," he said. "But true to its core."